1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water conservation system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for diverting, and/or conserving for subsequent use, ambient temperature water within a hot water plumbing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is a well known occurrence that during periods of non-use, hot water in hot water pipes cools, approaching, for purposes of this discussion, ambient temperature. Typically, this slug of ambient water occupies the volume of the hot water plumbing which is downstream from the hot water source and upstream of a hot water discharge outlet.
When water is initially discharged from a hot water pipe, ambient water therein must be purged from the hot water pipe before heated water is begins to discharge. This slug of ambient water is typically uncomfortable for personal use and thus, wasted. In plumbing systems where there is a substantial distance between the discharge outlet and the hot water source, this wasted ambient water may represent a considerable loss, both economically and environmentally.
Many prior art systems have been disclosed which propose to conserve water, most particularly potable domestic water. Included among these systems are in-house waste water reclamation and treatment facilities (as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,597). Such facilities are relatively complex. They typically require a substantial capital investment. They generally need specialty parts and fittings which are not commonly found in the plumbing industry. Such facilities are also susceptible to plumbing backups. Moreover, they are not well suited for retrofit applications. In addition, such systems may require external (i.e., electrical) power supplies and/or continuous maintenance. Also among the prior art are water recirculation systems (as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,2,497, 3,594,825, 3,188,656, and 4,162,218) which accumulate waste or "grey" water (i.e., waste water from sinks, tubs, dishwashers, and the like) in supplemental tanks until needed, then recycle the grey water to flush toilets. Such systems store dirty, smelly water for prolonged periods of time and present potential health hazards. A problem common to virtually all prior art water conservation systems is that they require a supplemental pump (and corresponding supplemental power supply) to transport the waste water from a collection point (i.e., downstream of a sink or tub drain) to a toilet's water closet. In an effort to overcome this problem, particularly limited systems (such as gravity flow systems) have been proposed wherein the toilet's water closet is disposed at a substantially lower elevation relative to the collection point (i.e., the sink or tub drain). Such systems, however, have an exceptionally narrow application, and are not suited for retrofit use, and, again, depend on the use and storage of grey water.